More information is available about the Highway 169 project on MnDOT's project website.

Hennepin County Transportation anticipates that there may be some increased traffic - particularly as people adjust to the closure and detours - on some county roads, namely Excelsior Boulevard (County Road 3), Shady Oak Road (County Road 61) and Gleason Road/Vernon Avenue (County Road 158).

The county's traffic staff will be monitoring traffic on these roads for potential temporary adjustments, such as changes in traffic signal timing.

If you have feedback about traffic on the county roads listed above, you can contact Transportation Dispatch at 612-596-0299. The dispatch staff will share your comments with our traffic staff.

Sun Country
Airlines recently started organics recycling on their airplanes with the help
of a Hennepin County business recycling grant. Materials including
coffee grounds, cups, napkins and leftover food are collected for composting.

This effort is part of the airlines’ broader Soaring to
Sustainability initiative that aims to reduce their footprint and conserve
natural resources. Sun Country also used part of their $24,600 grant to improve
recycling on their airplanes and in their office buildings located at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Grant funding covered the costs for a startup
supply of compostable bags, organics and recycling bins, and the first three
months of organics recycling hauling.

Hennepin County accepts applications from smaller business
recycling grants anytime, and the next deadline for larger grants is February
15, 2017. Learn more.

Hennepin County elections manager saw no technical glitches in a record-setting 2016

Reprinted from the Star Tribune, Kelly Smith December 15, 2016

Election 2016 is barely in the books, and Ginny Gelms is already preparing for the next one.

Gelms, who manages Hennepin County’s elections, is planning for local elections next year and the 2020 presidential contest, getting nary a break after this year’s record-setting election.

Hennepin County, with more registered voters than any other county in Minnesota, had a record number of absentee ballots and preregistered voters this year.

The county also saw a slight uptick in turnout, with 685,000 people voting — the most in county history.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Gelms said. “I’m proud of our county.”

The presidential election brought with it new technology, with the county introducingelectronic poll booksto check in voters in all suburbs. The county was one of only two in the state to ditch paper rosters for e-poll books; Gelms said there were no major issues with the 1,100 devices.

She’s now starting to roll out 700 devices in Minneapolis for the 2017 election, testing the devices and training staffers.

“They worked really well. … It made the experience of checking in voters much easier,” she said.

County commissioners had raised questions about the possibility of hacking, especially with the new e-poll books. The county had the U.S. Department of Homeland Security scan the county’s networks, and no evidence of hacking was found, Gelms said.

This was the first presidential election in which voters could preregister online, which made the process easier, she said.

Besides Gelms and seven full-time elections staffers, the office added its highest number of temporary workers — 80 people — as well as recruited other county staffers and University of Minnesota students to process ballots. The office took over an entire floor of a county building to sort ballots, with 150 people working each day.

Thirty percent of the ballots cast in Hennepin County were absentee this year, the first presidential election in which Minnesotans could cast absentee ballots without needing to cite a specific reason for not going to the polls. More people cast absentee ballots in person instead of mailing them in, Gelms said, with some voters waiting in line for up to two hours — longer than if they had gone on Election Day.

That’s why the county also plans to provide more staffing earlier in the election season to better handle the large number of absentee voters.

“People want to choose when they vote,” she said. “I think this trend will continue … and it could get even bigger.”

While the county ended up with74.3 percent voter turnoutamong voter-age residents — the same percentage as turned out in 2012 — the number of preregistered voters and Election Day voters reached 82 percent turnout. The 685,000 voters recorded this year tops 2012’s 682,000 voters.

“It went really smoothly,” Gelms said of the process.

Now, after a week of vacation, she’s back to preparing for legislative changes, the 2017 election and a possible special election if U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison wins thechairman jobat the Democratic National Committee and leaves his House seat.

I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various
newsletters and notifications available by email or text message. To explore the many opportunities to
subscribe or to change your preferences, visit the subscription webpage.

Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.

Warm regards,

Jan Callison

Board meetings

December 13, 2016

Board approves 2017 budget

The Hennepin County Board approved the county’s
2017 budget of $1.9 billion, $14 millionless than the 2016
adjusted budget. The budget includes a net property tax levy of $759.4 million,
an increase of 4.49 percent over the 2016 final net property tax levy.

The 2017 budget supports some of the county’s most vulnerable
residents, by strengthening early interventions and promoting
self-sufficiency.

Priorities include:

Child well-being, working to identify at-risk families earlier and
providing practical supports to address the root causes of abuse and
neglect

Hennepin Health, providing a holistic approach to health care for some
of the county’s most vulnerable residents, including not only preventive
physical and behavioral health care, but connections to social services to
help them access shelter and employment

Hennepin Housing Fund, funding development and preservation of affordable
housing for very low-income adults and families

Hennepin County Career
Connections, providing training and
public/private-sector career paths for people who face barriers to
employment

Transit and transportation, supporting the long-term value of neighborhoods
and communities through strategic public investments in infrastructure
that improves mobility and safety and connects people to jobs

Adult detention Initiative, providing alternatives to jail for low-risk offenders
who do not need to be detained, but who may benefit from behavioral health
services, or who could be supervised using a variety of detention and
processing strategies

The budget adoption follows more than six months of budget
preparation and hearings focused on the county’s continued commitment to help
residents to be healthy, protected and safe, self-reliant, assured due process
and mobile.

The budget also demonstrates a commitment to solid fiscal
priorities and responsibilities that are reflected by more than three decades
of AAA bond ratings.

2017 Youth Sports Grants awarded

The board awarded the
2017 Hennepin Youth Sports Grants totaling $1.8 million for 14
sports facility projects in Hennepin County and an additional $125,000 in
for 21 small equipment projects.

Cities, schools and parks
received funding for an array of projects, such as athletic fields and courts,
ski areas, a gym floor and a skate
park. Equipment projects include nets, bleachers, lighting
and utility vehicles for use at athletic fields.

Since the program began in
2009, the county has awarded $17.6 million to 108 facilities, 200
small equipment projects, five playground projects and a
swimming lesson pilot project. During spring 2017, Hennepin County will award
additional Youth Sports Grants for playground projects and a second round of
equipment grants.

Grant to help families experiencing homelessness

The board accepted a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) to help 100 Hennepin County families experiencing
homelessness transition quickly into permanent, decent and affordable housing.

Last month, HUD awarded the county $883,402 through its new
Continuum of Care Program Grant. Hennepin County will match 25 percent of these
funds. Families will receive housing placement services, links to integrated,
enhanced employment services and continued support to maintain housing.

Board briefings

In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board
often meets on Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are
informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are
made. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the
Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.

December 8, 2016

Adult Detention Initiative (ADI)

ADI
is a collaborative effort focused on ensuring that the Hennepin County jail is
used appropriately.It’s based upon the
belief that “Individuals who pose a threat to public safety or a high risk to
not appear for court should be detained; those who don’t should have
alternatives.” Partners include
Community Corrections, the Courts, the Sheriff’s Office, Public Defenders and
others.Among the strategies being
examined are:“alternatives for the
mentally ill, encouraging probation compliance to avoid unnecessary arrest and
detention orders, alternatives to bench warrants, eliminating unnecessary
delays and ensuring that decisions to detail on release are based on the risk
of not appearing for court or threat to public safety.”

Human Resources Update

This
briefing related to the County’s ability to attract and retain employees and included
the results of an independent evaluation of Hennepin County workforce
programs.The overall goal of Hennepin
County in this area is “to attract and retain a well-qualified and diverse
workforce by creating a comprehensive Total Rewards strategy that communicates
the value of working for Hennepin County.”Strategies being examined relate to culture as well as compensation and
benefits.

County calendar

January 3, 2017

Oath of office ceremony

On Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 1:30 PM the Hennepin County Board will be holding its oath of office swearing in ceremony. The Commissioners who were re-elected/elected are:

District 1 - Mike Opat

District 5 - Debbie Goettel

District 6 - Jan Callison

District 7 - Jeff Johnson

The swearing in ceremony will take place in the County Board Room in the Government Center. The 2017 board organizational meeting will follow the swearing in ceremony.

January 20, 2017

Aquatic invasive species prevention grant funding available

Funding
is available for projects that prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
(AIS). Eligible project activities include enhancing early detection efforts,
increasing education, expanding inspections and supporting research.

A few project examples include:

The
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board used a 2016 Hennepin County AIS grant to
create short AIS prevention public service announcements (PSAs) that were aired
during their Music and Movies in the Parks series. The PSAs aired at 53 movies
with a total attendance of more than 17,800 people.

The
Three Rivers Park District used a $30,000 Hennepin County AIS grant to increase
watercraft inspections and education by 43 percent at six lakes, including
conducting inspections for the first time at Twin Lake and Little Long Lake.
More than 6,500 inspections were conducted and 130 contaminated watercraft were
found.

January 30, 2017

Disaster recovery center to help flood victims in Hennepin County

A temporary disaster recovery center to help residents affected by September flooding has opened in Brooklyn Park. The center, operated by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), is located at 8600 Zane Avenue North.

Residents whose homes were damaged as a result of the floods and
have home repair expenses that they are not able to meet will find financial
help and other services at the center.

Criminal justice and public safety

Preserve and protect public safety through state funding that
covers counties’ costs and state mandates.

Increase Community Corrections
Act (CCA) funding to ensure adequate state funding for supervision of
offenders in the community.

Support increased funding to
the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to meet its obligations for
timely processing of drug chemistry evidence.

Support legislation and
continued funding for offender reentry, including transitional housing,
work opportunities and community-based treatment.

Support full funding of the
state No Wrong Door program to address the identification, recovery and
safety of children and young adults who are victims of sexual
exploitation.

Data practices

Improve the delivery and coordination of supportive services
through the use of data-driven strategies.

Support legislation that
promotes streamlined service coordination and data sharing across health,
education, public safety and human services organizations.

Environment and energy

Protect the environment and conserve resources through
responsible management of waste and natural resources and promotion of
environmental stewardship.

Restore SCORE funding to its
original purpose (funding county waste reduction, recycling and composting
efforts to meet state solid waste goals) by eliminating the diversion of
SCORE revenues to the General Fund.

Ensure that Hennepin County
receives a fair share of revenues from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy
Amendment.

Support the efficient,
transparent and accountable management of water resources.

Support legislation allowing
the county to use electricity produced by county facilities.

Support legislation and state
funding to local jurisdictions within quarantine areas for planning and
response to the loss of trees due to invasive pests and pathogens, such as
emerald ash borer.

General government

Improve government services delivery, reduce mandates on local
government, re-prioritize government spending and promote effective management
of county programs.

Remove obligations and
liabilities created by easements and other encumbrances on properties
that, when in tax forfeiture, result in costs to the county or taxpayers.

Support improved efficiency of
election administration through the use of e-poll books and electronic
signature during early voting.

Amend state statute to allow
local governments to publish official documents electronically.

Support renewal of the allocation
of Legacy/Arts and Cultural Heritage funding for libraries.

Support others’ efforts to
modernize investment statutes to allow large local governments to make
collateralized investments with the same entities currently authorized for
uncollateralized investments.

Hennepin County Medical Center health
system

Ensure access to the full continuum of health care services for
all.

Support legislation to obtain
vital funding that secures the financial vitality of Hennepin County
Medical Center, including maximizing existing supplemental and Medicaid
payments, creating new supplemental payments and mitigating the impact of
revenue assessments on supplemental payments.

Support comprehensive reform of
the state’s mental health system to ensure patients receive the
appropriate level of care and to improve patient outcomes.

Target increased payments to
safety-net hospitals with the largest uncompensated and undercompensated
care burden; including the establishment of a Medicaid payment enhancement
that accounts for the patients’ social determinants of health.

Support Medicaid care delivery
reform demonstration projects that benefit patients seen by safety-net
providers, including the creation of care models that integrate primary
care and addiction medicine and dental care.

Support funding and development
of policies that encourage the state’s adoption of best practices in
health disparities reduction and health equity.

Create a mechanism to reduce
the burden of uncompensated and undercompensated care created by changes
to Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA).

Maintain or increase current
state investment in medical education and health care workforce
development funding for HCMC.

Health and human services

Ensure that health systems work to improve outcomes for all
residents, especially the most vulnerable.

Administrative and technical improvements

Support funding necessary for
the Minnesota Eligibility Technology System (METS) to function properly
and reliably, alleviate excessive burdens on county property taxpayers and
improve services provided to customers.

Support modernization of
Minnesota’s state and county computerized systems used for human services
and health care eligibility to include simplification efforts.

Support reforms to the
Minnesota Family Investment Partnership (MFIP) that streamline eligibility
determination in ways that align it with other income support programs.

Investment in well-being of our children

Substantially invest in and
reform early childhood development programs, including basic sliding fee
child care, foster care child care, early learning scholarships, Head
Start and evidence-based targeted home visiting.

Promote child well-being and
achieve positive outcomes for county-involved youth by investing in both
the child protection system and foster care system.

Support school educational
stability for foster children and county-involved youth by stabilizing
their access to transportation supports when they are placed in settings
outside of their original school districts.

Investment in health through mental health and chemical health
improvements

Support state funding and
systems redesign to meet the needs of individuals with mental illness,
including supportive housing options and services required for stabilizing
individuals in the community.

Support efforts to improve our
children and adult systems of chemical health treatment to leverage
federal funding and assure timely access to effective care.

Support efforts to integrate
mental health, chemical health and criminal justice interventions to
address the needs of justice-involved persons, to ensure better outcomes
for residents and to reduce recidivism.

Support legislation that
promotes and sustains efforts to develop a comprehensive and integrated
model of health and human services delivery to assure access to county
health and human services systems.

Housing

Leverage limited resources more efficiently and advance stable
housing for individuals and families.

Support investments that
provide greater access to Group Residential Housing (GRH), affordable and
permanent housing options for vulnerable or low income persons and
families receiving county services. Seek demonstration pilots to test how
reforming income disregards and eligibility criteria expands pathways out
of poverty and options for long-term stable housing.